The Power of the Mind

The Power of the Mind

You’ve probably seen the quote, ‘mind over matter.’ It’s often used to inspire action in the face of difficult circumstances, the interpretation being – we must be stronger than our circumstances, we must be mentally tough.

I agree. I also think that ‘mind over matter’ is much bigger than that interpretation.

The power to create rests in the mind. Anything we’ve ever consciously done or created was born in the mind first. While most would agree to this point without question, it’s something we also often take for granted.

But there’s more…

Not only is our mind a powerful creator, it’ s also highly suggestible and malleable. The person who knows how to manipulate their own mind can create whatever they want. From this perspective, circumstances become less and less relevant and what becomes most important is what we decide to create for ourselves.

Take the story of Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old medical student. In 1954 it was thought impossible to run faster than a 4-minute mile. It was said that the human body was incapable of performing such a task. That is until Bannister, an amateur runner, did just that. What’s more interesting is what happened next. Less than a month after he broke the unbreakable record, his record was broken. And since then, over 1300 runners have clocked miles under 4 minutes.

So what made the 4-minute mile impossible in one instance and very doable in the other? Did the runners who were able to break 4 minutes have more desire and a stronger will than their predecessors? Did the objective reality or circumstance change?

No.

What changed was their ability to believe it could be done in the first place. Once they saw someone, just like them, accomplish the feat they bought into the idea that they could do it, as well.

This is the power of the mind.

Had their mind been able to accept that truth before someone else proved it, we would be talking about them instead of Roger Bannister, who was able to do just that.

Here lies the potential of the mind and the importance of mastery over it. What we believe, what we accept as truth becomes our reality. It’s in our best interest – then – to choose only to accept that which is in line with our values, our purpose, and our dreams.

This is not delusion; it’s more real than the reality most people believe. When someone does something that once seemed impossible, it’s important to remember that at one point, that person was considered delusional by the realists. Objectively – as time revealed – it was the realists who had deluded themselves out of their own potential.

Let’s not repeat this mistake in our lives.

If we can master our mind, we can be master over our circumstances; not just by force of will but by imagination and faith in possibilities.